primotipo…

Pete Geoghegan’s famous ’67 Mustang GTA leads a packed field at the start of the Australian Touring Car Championship, Easter Bathurst round on 30 March 1970…

This is what rocks the socks off touring car enthusiasts in Australia, this era of ‘taxis’ above all others for the variety of cars across the various classes. The drivers were ‘characters’ as well rather than the anodyne media schooled pro’s of today.

Here Pete enters Hell Corner ahead of 1970 Champion Norm Beechey’s 1970 Holden Monaro HT 350 GTS. Brian Foley slips up the inside of Bob Jane’s Shelby built ’68 Mustang in his 1969 2.2 Porker 911S with Allan Moffat’s 1969 KarKraft factory Mustang TransAm on the outside. Chris Brauer in his ex-Jane Mustang is ahead of a glimpse of ‘Skinny’ Manton’s yellow 1969 Cooper S, the only tiddler in shot.

All of these beasties are still alive with the exception of Brauer’s Mustang which met its maker at Lakeside several months later, on 26 July. Chris was edged off the track in a race incident, he hit the end of an armco barrier side on, destroying the car, hurting himself badly and ending his career. It was a very sad, grisly day in Queensland, popular Glynn Scott lost his life aboard an Elfin 600 Waggott 2 litre ANF1 car in a support event.

Geoghegan took the Bathurst pole with a time of 2:29.9, 1.4 seconds ahead of Bob Jane with Moffat completing the front row of the grid. On row 2 were Beechey and Foley, and then McKeown’s 911S and Brauer.

Beechey used all 500 plus of his rampaging ‘neddies to lead going up Mountain Straight on the first lap whilst Moffat, 7th off the line made his way back to 3rd behind Beechey and Geoghegan during lap 1-before both Geoghegan and Moffat’s TransAm Mustang passed Beechey’s ‘TransAus’ Monaro going down Conrod Straight.

Geoghegan and Moffat pulled away from the rest of the field over the next 2 laps whilst ‘Stormin Norm’ Beechey suffered a misfire. On lap 4 Moffat slowed with plug problems which eventually caused his retirement, this gave Geoghegan space over Beechey and Jane who were battling over 2nd place.

Nick Petrilli, Holden Monaro HT GTS 350 also retired when a piston let go, then Jane spun at Forrest’s Elbow (photo below) a few laps later, taking the pressure off Beechey.

Pete Geoghegan raced on worn tyres, Firestone did not have new tyres available! As a consequence Beechey was able to easily reduce Geoghegan’s lead in the second half of the contest.

At the same time, Phil Barnes began slowing in his Morris Cooper S, allowing Peter Manton, Bob Holden’s Escort Twin-Cam and Roy Griffith’s Falcon GTHO Ph1 past.

Beechey took the lead going into Murray’s Corner on lap 18 and pulled away for the win. Geoghegan held on for 2nd whilst Jane was 3rd despite his spin. The Porsche 911’s of McKeown and Foley finished 4th and 5th respectively whilst Brauer was the final point-scorer in 6th.

Beechey won three of the seven championship rounds that year and the title- Bathurst, Sandown and Lakeside, all power circuits- not that handling was an attribute unrequired at each track as well. Jim McKeown’s Porsche 911S (won Warwick Farm) was 2nd and the Mustangs of Jane and Geoghegan (won Mallala) 3rd and 4th in a hotly contested series.

Click here for a superbly detailed Mark Oastler penned article on the brilliantly concepted, engineered and raced Beechey GTS 350 ‘Munro’…

https://www.shannons.com.au/club/news/ht-monaro-gts-350-is-this-holdens-greatest-muscle-racer/

Photo Credits…

Mark Walton, Nigel Watts on ‘The Roaring Season’, autopics.com.au

Tailpiece: Norm hooks into Hell Corner before the run up Mountain Straight where the Monaro’s 500 plus Chevy ponies were used to rather good effect…

Finito…